The subject matter disclosed herein relates generally to compressors and, more particularly, to a compressor diffuser and shroud for a motor driven compressor of an aircraft inert gas generating system.
Aircrafts generally include various systems for generating inert gas to control fuel tank flammability. These systems include, for example, a nitrogen generation system that serves to generate the inert gas. Typically, such a nitrogen generation system has a motor that is coupled to one or more compressor stages to remove air from the cabin, to drive the removed air into a heat exchanger and to continue to drive the removed air toward an exhaust system. The motor and compressor stages are collectively referred to as a motor driven compressor.
The process of assembling a motor driven compressor is typically time and labor intensive, as proper alignment and clearance of rotating parts must be achieved. As one example, a typical assembly process includes an initial alignment and bolting together of static parts, followed by drilling and inserting precision-machined alignment pins. After pin placement, the static parts are disassembled, and the motor driven compressor is reassembled including both the static parts and moving parts, where the pins enable precise realignment. This process maintains precise alignment for future maintenance and servicing of the motor driven compressor; however, the initial manufacturing burden is high. Further, static parts must be sized to receive the alignment pins, which can impact system weight and require precise tolerances.